The Dodo Archive

Dogs Donate Blood Too -- Saving The Lives Of Other Pups

About once every two months, a sweet dog named Roxi arrives to the Animal Emergency Center in Bettendorf, Illinois to see the vet -- but not for a routine checkup. Instead, she's there to help out other pups in need.

Roxi is one of a number of dogs that make regular visits to the veterinarian Dr. Bruce Benge's offices to donate blood so that dogs in need of blood transfusions have a better chance at life. It's a duty, requiring just a few minutes from start to finish, that Roxi takes in stride.

"She's a very good patient for us," says Dr. Benge. "She's very calm. She usually lays there pretty still during the donation process."

Roxi, and the other blood-donating dogs like her, likely never the chance to meet the pets they're helping to save, but the life-giving gesture is certainly not forgotten by their owners. Stephanie Acri, whose dog Jake suffers from a red blood cell problem, was the one to receive Roxi's plasma after her recent visit -- and she says it saved his life.

"Really the only option for him to survive was to have this transfusion," Acri tells news station WQAD. "He was getting sicker and sicker, and the medicine didn't have time to work, so the transfusion bought him time."

But there are many more dogs like Jake in need of blood transfusions in animal clinics across the country, which is why the Humane Society encourages the owners of healthy pets to consider enlisting their dogs as blood donors as well.

"It's important to have a consistent set of donors, because canine blood only has a shelf-life of about 30 to 35 days, and the supply needs to be replenished so it is on hand when animals need it. Some veterinary clinics don't need blood very often, so they don't keep it on hand. That's when the regional and national blood banks have to fill the gap," writes the Human Society.

"With a 45-minute visit to the veterinarian every 5 to 7 weeks, your dog can be a hero. It's that simple.